Rep. Evan Vickers
April Spectrum Article
The 2011 legislative session is finally over.There were a lot of very good things that happened with regard to the budget, education and other areas but they seemed to be overshadowed by some of the more contentious issues that surfaced towards the end of the session. Some of those issues will continue to be addressed over the next few months and into the 2012 general session. The big issue that now has to be addressed is redistricting.
The 2010 census numbers are official which means that the legislature now has the responsibility of evaluating and determining what the new boundaries will be for the state house of representative districts, state senate districts and congressional districts. Utah will be receiving a 4thcongressional district this year. How these various state and federal districts are established is critical to Southern Utah’s representation at the State Capitol and in Washington, DC. There will be numerous scenarios and formulas considered in trying to determine how to best accommodate the population shifts and the new 4th congressional seat. How Southern Utah is represented will be an important topic of discussion.
The population of our end of state has changed drastically since the last census. Washington and Iron County have grown significantly with Washington County now over 135,000 people. The reason we redistrict every ten years is to re-balance the population in each district. Some areas of our State have grown so fast they are much larger than the target balance set in 2001. Some of our surrounding, more rural counties have lost population or stayed mostly static. The challenge will be to maintain the rural representation while still giving the more populous counties the representation they deserve as well. It will be a challenge. It is very likely that Iron and Washington Counties will gain an additional seat or two in the Legislature, in contrast Salt Lake City stands to loose a one seat due to shifting population.
Rep. Don Ipson, who represents District 75 in Washington County, will be the only legislative representative from Southern Utah on the redistricting committee. He is very capable and I am sure that he will represent our needs well. More importantly, we as citizens of Southern Utah must step up and be heard during the upcoming process.There will be numerous public hearings around the state as the redistricting process moves along. When the redistricting committee met in 2001, they held over 17 meetings throughout the State and this committee will likely follow a similar meeting plan. We need to make sure that our voice is heard and heard loudly. We cannot assume that our interests will be taken care of by the committee.
How these new and existing districts will be established will be critical to how Southern Utah is represented politically for the next 10 years at least.I would encourage you all to talk with your friends and groups that you are associated with. Spend time evaluating the potential makeup of these districts. Work together and plan on how you will let those legislators helping to formulate these plans know what you expect.
